Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Redneck Romeo Release Day Party: Day 3


RR-Release-Party (1)June 19
Day Three – REDNECK ROMEO RELEASE PARTY
Lorelei James is celebrating the release of REDNECK ROMEO with a SEVEN day party.  SEVEN great giveaways, SEVEN different posts.  Stop by all the amazing blogs participating in the party to increase your chances to win!!! Each blog will post a special REDNECK ROMEO post all seven days (no weekend posts)
Prize List:
1) Redneck Romeo charm bracelet
2) Kindle fire
3) Basket of goodies, including a McKay brand fleece blanket and other McKay branded stuff and conference trinkets
4) Full set of signed Rough Riders books
5) 1 of a kind handmade small Western purse
6) Arc of TURN AND BURN
7) $100 gift card to amazon.com



Ten Tidbits About Dalton McKay1) He's eaten rattlesnake, bear, lizard, and grasshoppers--the last one not by choice thanks to his 3 older brothers who loved to trick him into eating weird stuff or held him down and force fed him
2) When Dalton sings...with that deep voice of his he sounds like Trace Adkins
3) He's wrecked 3 dirt bikes but no cars
4) Dalton would rather do all ranch work on an ATV than a horse
5) The first song he learned all the words to --Driving My Life Away by Eddie Rabbitt
6) The blue heeler dog his brother Luke gave him for his 18th birthday was the best present he ever got
7) He cheated on a math test in 9th grade and felt so guilty he spent the summer relearning everything he'd missed during the school year
8) His favorite fruit are plums
9) Dalton hates wearing pajamas
10) Someday he'd like to create a piece of art using his chainsaw


Buy Links
Amazon

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Cursed






Cursed
Cate Masters
Blurb: Bruno diCesare lives alone by necessity, not choice. An experiment performed by Leonardo da Vinci, who believed having a dual DNA would grant a person immortality, used magic to render Bruno a chimera – the head of a lion, body of a dragon. The only time he can mingle with people is during Carnevale, ten glorious days of masked anonymity, frivolity and intimacy.
Melina Weaver learned fire dancing to enliven her dull existence. A scientist, her long hours at the lab leave no time for a social life. For ten days at Carnevale, she can pretend to be someone else. Someone sexy and daring, who lives on the edge.
Once she meets Bruno, her wish comes true, but everything goes terribly wrong. Beneath Bruno’s costume lurks an alpha male, but is he dangerous? Worse, can she return to an employer who sells her research to the military to make an army of efficient killers? Her only hope may lie with the man she’s just met and never seen.
BUY LINKS:




Excerpt:
Light danced in his dark eyes. “I must admit, your fire dancing fascinated me. What made you choose such a dangerous skill to master?”
“The thrill of the challenge, I suppose.” It balanced the rest of her mundane life, to a degree. Mastering each new level gave her a sense of achievement, where work couldn’t.
Something flashed through his dark eyes. “Mistakes must be very painful.”
“I practiced a long time before I worked up the nerve to actually light the wands. I found the fire great incentive to focus, however.” God, her grin must be goofy, the way he stared. Such gorgeous eyes, such a deep brown they almost appeared black. He probably had rugged features, if his large hands provided any indication. Too bad he wore gloves, another barrier between them.
“Yes,” he said, “I imagine so.”
“What about you? What other magic do you know?” Oh please, can you get any more ridiculous? It sounded like a line from a bad chick flick.
The crinkle around his eyes was the only evidence of his smile, but enough to charm her.
“Lifetimes of studying the dark arts have provided me with many tricks.”
“Lifetimes?” she blurted.
He stiffened in her arms. “Pardon?”
She watched him carefully. “You said ‘lifetimes’. Plural.” And what the hell did he mean by ‘dark arts’?
Rigidity masked the grace of his movements. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.” He stared over her head as they whirled to the song’s rhythm.
Mistaken my ass. How very strange. More strange that the question upset him. He’d clammed up, and his muscles were so tense, she expected him to bolt. Better to drop it. For now. “Must have been a slip of the tongue.”
“Yes.” Relief sounded in his tone, though guarded.
This man had something to hide. How intriguing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com, and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.
Cate loves to hear from readers. Email her at: cate.masters@gmail.com
Cate Masters  - Magic, mayhem and a little romance

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Review: Robert (The Valentines #1)

Title: Robert  (The Valentines #1)

Author: Sam Crescent

Publisher: Total Ebound

Genre: Paranormal erotic romance

Reviewer: Crystal

Review Rating: 4.5 LIGHTNING BOLTS


Blurb: Book one in The Valentines Series A war is about to begin.Sophie Ford has a secret. Fear for herself and her friend has her running to the vampire council in search of protection.And she is bonded to a vampire.Robert Valentine knows Sophie is hiding something, but what? She tempts him as no little human ever has in his whole life. He is the eldest son of the most powerful family in the world.Forces they cannot control are fighting against them. Time is running out. Sophie's secret is about to be exposed. Is there time to save the ones they love? Can Robert and Sophie move on and survive the war that is about to begin?Reader Advisory: This book is the first of a series and contains scenes of violence between werewolves and vampires


REVIEW: Robert Valentine has lived for five hundred years and he is gettting just a little bored. That is until the Fords come in and want to do a blood bond with their daughter Sophie to help their company. Sophie has some deals that she wants to bring of her own. She wants to protect her friend.

I have never heard of a deal like this before. I enjoyed this book and hated when I reached the last page. I know that there will be even more excitement in the next book. I just couldn't get enough of Robert and Sophie. I know that Robert will have a lot on his shoulders now since the death of his father.

I enjoy all of this author's books and everytime I get one I can't get enough. I just hated that this one was short. Just when the story started getting exciting it was over. So now I will go in search of the next book and see what kind of adventure I will be taken on.



   Barnes & Noble
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Redneck Romeo Release Party Day 2

RR-Release-Party (1)




June 18
Day Two – REDNECK ROMEO RELEASE PARTY
Lorelei James is celebrating the release of REDNECK ROMEO with a SEVEN day party.  SEVEN great giveaways, SEVEN different posts.  Stop by all the amazing blogs participating in the party to increase your chances to win!!! Each blog will post a special REDNECK ROMEO post all seven days.



Prize List:
1) Redneck Romeo charm bracelet
2) Kindle fire
3) Basket of goodies, including a McKay brand fleece blanket and other McKay branded stuff and conference trinkets
4) Full set of signed Rough Riders books
5) 1 of a kind handmade small Western purse
6) Arc of TURN AND BURN
7) $100 gift card to amazon.com

EXCERPT
REDNECK ROMEO - book 15 - Rough Riders sereis

Copyright © 2013 Lorelei James
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication

Bang bang bang. “Dalton! Come on man, open up. I know you’re in there.”

Dalton cracked one eyelid and cast a bleary eye at the alarm clock. Seven a.m. He yanked the quilt over his head and mumbled “f*** off” to Boden Hicks, the idiot beating on his door.
“McKay. I’m not f***ing around. This is an emergency.”
That hauled Dalton’s ass out of bed. He unlatched the old-fashioned bolt and opened the door. “What’s the emergency?”
Boden hustled inside but a gust of snow followed before he slammed the heavy oak door shut. He stamped his feet. “Damn snowstorm came from out of nowhere.”
“You better not have tricked me out of bed to complain about the goddamned weather.”
Boden shuffled over to the woodstove to warm himself, but it’d been a good ten hours since Dalton had loaded it up. “It’s like a damn freezer in here.”
“That’s because I was sleeping. In my own bed, after roughing it on an elk hunt, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember. I’m just glad the hunting party made it out before this storm hit.” Boden unzipped his parka and pulled out Dalton’s cell phone, still attached to the wall charger. “Normally I could give a crap if you stay in bed a week after a hunt, but you left your phone charging at the lodge last night. The thing’s been buzzing like crazy. When I unplugged it, I noticed you’ve got twenty-seven missed calls. So it’s gotta be something important.”
Dalton’s stomach knotted. Since he had little to no cell service in the mountains, he forgot he even had a cell phone most of the time. Few people had his number—just his brothers, his mother, his cousin Sierra McKay, his accountant, his banker and his investment guys.
“Gimme that.” Dalton scrolled through the missed calls. Twelve from Brandt, twelve from Tell, three from Sierra.
Had to be bad news if his family had reached out to him.
The family he hadn’t seen in three years.
“What’s going on?”
He glanced up at Boden. “No clue. I haven’t bothered to set up my voice mail on this phone so I’ll have to call to find out.”
Boden sighed. “Speaking of…I wanted to make sure your two-way is charged. Since you have an issue with technology that allows people to get in touch with you.”
“It’s charged. I laid in a store of food before the huntin’ trip so I can ride out the storm.”
“Good. We’re supposed to get a foot of snow today and maybe more tonight.” Boden crouched in front of the woodstove and chucked kindling in the cold embers before setting the torch to the pile. “Might be a couple days before you can get out, if you need to go home.”
Home. It didn’t have the same connotation it once did. When it was all he’d known. “I’ll let you know what’s goin’ on as soon as I know.”
Boden piled several small logs in the black box before he stood. “You worried?”
Dalton shrugged.
But Boden didn’t buy his act; he never had, which was why they’d become such good friends. “You want me to stick around?”
“Nah. I’ll put on a pot of coffee before I call my brother.” He smirked. “Get on back to the lodge. Bree would jam my nuts in a vise if you got snowed in with me instead of with her.”
“Your nuts ain’t ever gonna be anywhere near my wife’s hands, McKay.”
He laughed. “I know your kink doesn’t extend to sharing.”
“Damn straight.” Boden zipped up his parka and slipped on his gloves. “You need anything, buzz us. If we don’t answer right away—”
“I’ll assume you’re tied up. Or rather, you’re tying Bree up.”
As soon as Boden left, Dalton started coffee. Then he stripped off his long johns and took a cold shower. That ensured he’d be fully awake.
The main room of the three-room cabin had warmed up by the time he’d dressed. After downing two cups of coffee, Dalton stood by the window in the kitchen and called Brandt.
His oldest brother answered on the fourth ring. “’Bout damn time, Dalton. Where the hell have you been that you can’t return a phone call?”
No doubt Brandt thought he was f***ing off someplace. Little did he know how tiring it was leading a ten-day hunting party into the mountains. But Dalton no longer explained his life choices to anyone. “What’s goin’ on? I had twenty-four missed calls in the last twelve hours.” No one knew Sierra had his number. His brothers would be pissed if they knew Dalton kept in better contact with Sierra than with them.
“Dad had a stroke.”
Silence. Finally Dalton asked, “Is he okay?”
“He’s alive, if that’s what you mean. He’s havin’ difficulties talkin’. They’re not sure if it’s permanent. They’re not too sure of anything at this point. So we—me’n Tell—are asking you to come home.”
Dalton closed his eyes. He didn’t want to play nursemaid to the man who’d made his life hell. Especially not after the last conversation they’d had, which was the biggest reason Dalton had left Sundance for good—not that he’d told his brothers or anyone else about what’d gone down. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?” Brandt demanded.
“Why do you want me there?”
“Hey, bro. Brandt put you on speaker phone,” Tell said. “Look, we need you to help us make some decisions about Dad’s care.”
Dalton let his forehead rest against the frosted windowpane.
“We haven’t seen you in over three years. It sucks that something like this had to happen for you to even consider comin’ home. But we do need you here.”
He pictured his brothers, Tell leaning against the window in the cab of Brandt’s truck, his restless fingers tapping on his leg. Brandt seated behind the steering wheel, his posture stiff, arms crossed over his chest.
“When did this happen?” Dalton asked.
“Brandt got a call from the hospital in Spearfish yesterday morning. They wouldn’t let us see him until late afternoon. Soon as we had some information, we tried calling you.” Tell paused. “You ain’t gotten any better at returning calls.”
“But I did return it. Not fast enough for you?” he asked sharply. Jesus. Within two minutes of talking to his brothers he’d reverted to the defensive guy he’d left behind. He exhaled slowly. “Sorry. Cell service here is spotty.”
“Where are you?”
Don’t feel guilty they don’t know. “Alder, Montana. We’re in the midst of a blizzard so it might be a couple days before I can make it out of the mountains.”
Silence.
“Has the doctor given you a time frame on how long he’ll be in the hospital?”
“No,” Brandt said. “But when Dad is discharged, it’ll be to the rehab wing in a nursing home.”
That oughta make Casper even more the patient from hell. “Sounds like it won’t matter then if I’m not there for a couple of days. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.”
“Sure. Will you be staying with one of us?” Tell asked.
“Nah. I’ve got it covered. Thanks though.”
Neither of his brothers asked where he’d be bunking down, although he sensed they wanted to.
“Okay, then. I guess we’ll see you when we see you.”
“Yep. Later.” Dalton hung up.
He stared out the window for the longest time, even though he couldn’t see sh** through the swirling snow.
But this storm wasn’t anything compared to the one he faced in Sundance.
The blizzard lasted two days. On the morning of the third day Dalton packed up his stuff, closed up his cabin and headed down the mountain.
Once he had a clear cell signal, he gave Brandt a heads up he was on his way. Brandt said they’d moved Casper to the rehab wing and to meet them there.
Then he placed a call to Sierra.
She answered with, “I swear every time I call you and I don’t hear back I live in mortal fear that you’ve disconnected from the world completely and you’re out in the forest running naked with woodchucks and sh**.”
“Not hardly. I returned the calls in order of importance.”
“So you’ve talked to your brothers?”
“Yeah. I’m on my way to Wyoming right now.”
“They giving you grief about…well, everything?”
“They both knew it wouldn’t take much for me to refuse to come back.” He flipped on the defroster. “How’d you find out about Casper’s stroke?”
“Keely. I knew your brothers would get a hold of you first, so my call isn’t about your father.”
“Then why did you call?” Dalton heard her take a deep breath and he went on full alert.
In a rush, Sierra said, “You’ve got to promise me that you won’t get mad at me for what I’m about to tell you.”
“No conversation ever ends well that starts that way.”
“True, but I want you to remember I was only following your parameters. And I kinda hoped someone else would tell you about this, so I didn’t have to. But then, you’d have to actually talk to someone who lives there, and we both know that’s a rarity, so I guess it falls to me.”
“You been drinkin’? ’Cause you ain’t making a lick of sense. Quit dancing around the subject, college girl, and spill it.”
“Rory is back in Sundance and working for Wyoming Natural Resource Council.”
Everything switched into slow motion. Dalton couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. He had to pull onto the shoulder so he didn’t wreck his truck.
“Dalton?”
“You said Rory is livin’ in Sundance.”
“Yes.”
“With her fiancé?”
“No. She, ah, broke off the engagement.”
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
This was not happening. Sierra had not kept this information from him about Rory for half a goddamned year.
“Dalton. I know your head is about to explode—”
“Jesus, Sierra, do you f***ing think? Why are you just telling me this now?” he roared. “Do you have any f***ing idea—”
“That you’ve been holed up in the middle of freakin’ nowhere moping because Rory got engaged to someone else? Why yes, I was completely aware of that little factoid, cuz.”
Silence.
“Besides, you were doing your lumberjack gig and completely off the grid when Rory ended the engagement. I’ll remind you of your zero tolerance policy—me not talking about Rory or sharing information about Rory’s life was your edict, Dalton. I was just following your parameters. And now the parameters have changed.”
“Seriously not f***ing amused. Will you just get to the point?”
“I really have to point out that you and Rory will actually be in the same place for the first time in over three years?”
“Three years? Try ten years since she’s lived there. I’da been in Sundance six months ago if I’d known she was there without some other asshole’s ring on her finger,” he snarled.
“Whoa. Take a step back, wolverine. I’m telling you now because maybe you’re smart enough to handle it the right way this time.”
“This time?” Dalton repeated sharply. “Don’t make this out to be my fault. I offered her—”
“Don’t snap at me or interrupt me again or I will hang up, understand?”
“Yeah, yeah, keep talkin’.”
“Rory is my sister. You’re my business partner and one of the few people I trust. I hate that I’m pulled between you two. It’s time you manned up, Dalton. And don’t remind me that you did that once three years ago after you walked out on your own wedding. Even you can admit it was piss poor timing on your part.”
“But that bad timing didn’t stop her from giving me an edict, did it?”
“Like I’ve told you ten thousand times, that wasn’t an edict. Two years was a time line for Rory to finish grad school and a frame of reference for you to understand how important that was to her. You shouldn’t have taken it as gospel.”
“Then she shouldn’t have given me false hope.”
“Then you shouldn’t have turned tail and run again,” Sierra retorted. “Especially after you gave her false hope that things might finally change between you two.”
Like he needed that reminder. “Does she know about Casper?”
“Doubtful. She’s been out of town and she stays out of McKay gossip completely.”
Then Rory wouldn’t suspect Dalton was on his way back to Sundance. The element of surprise might work in his favor. “What’s the best way to approach her?”
“She bartends at the Twin Pines on the side. She’s working tonight. Anything else I can do for you besides making your day with this news?” Sierra asked sweetly.
Making his day? Hell, she’d made his life, because now he had a shot at getting the life he wanted. “Where are the keys for the house in town?”
A pause. Then, “Why?”
“I need a place to stay.”
Sierra heaved a put-upon sigh. “They’re under the back deck on a key hook. But there are two conditions before I’ll let you stay there. First, you don’t tell anyone I own it. No one.”
“Deal. And FYI, that’s why we have a silent partnership.” He’d supplied Sierra with some capital to start her own business last year and he also wanted it kept on the down low. “What’s the second condition?”
“I need a handyman to do some things. Okay, a lot of things. You’re handy, you’re there and voila—you’re selected. I’ll FedEx my repair list today but anything else you see that needs fixed just go ahead.”
“I’ll do it but I want to be reimbursed once a week for whatever I buy. You don’t get to pull that sixty day wait for payment bull crap like you money people usually do.”
She laughed. “That’s how we become money people. We hold on to money as long as possible. Be warned, some of what needs done will be major costs.”
“I ain’t a carpet installer,” he warned. “Nor will I put in windows.”
Sierra sighed again. “You are a handy handyman, right?”
“Guess you’ll have to trust me, huh?”
“I’ll be keeping tabs on you.” Another pause. “I’m sorry about your dad. If you need to talk about anything—except for Rory—call me.”
By the time Dalton crossed into Crook County hours later, he had a plan in place.
Patience. Perseverance. He would not blow this chance.
Rory Wetzler was his. His. She always had been, she always would be.
And he’d do whatever it took to prove it.
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Summer Lovin' Indie Reader party



Looking for a fun, inexpensive way to meet some of your favorite Indie authors?

Summer Party info pic

15 authors, 1 cool place, 1 big party!

Join us for the Southern California multi-author book signing event of the Summer! Books, Music, Food, and Dancing! Meet your favorite authors of indie sizzling romance in an atmosphere where it's fine to get up and dance to some rocking music anytime. Friday July 12, 2013 — 6-11 PM at Pomona Valley Mining Co. (less than an hour away from Disneyland!) Cost of admission: $10 (includes event ticket, light appetizers, dancing, & swag bag) Tickets and books can be purchased here on this site. Tickets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. Space is limited. We strongly encourage you to purchase books in advance to ensure you will have your book to sign at the event. You will be given a swag bag with your advance purchased books the day of the party for your favorite authors to sign. This is to ensure we have more chat time with our amazing readers. And of course … more party time! See you in July! The Summer Lovin’ Indie Author Crew Catherine Bybee Nyrae Dawn Kailin Gow Melody Grace Audrey Harte MR Joseph Kimberly Knight Bethany Lopez Raine Miller Addison Moore Monica Murphy Julie Prestsater Kristen Proby Elizabeth Reyes CJ Roberts

Click here to sign up

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COVER REVEAL: Viking Fire



BLURB:



856 CE, Ireland is a land of myth, magic, and blood. Viking raiders have fought the Irish for over half a century. Rival Irish clans promise only betrayal and carnage.

Kaireen, daughter of Laird Liannon, is suddenly forced into an arranged marriage with her sworn enemy, a Viking. She refuses to submit. With no mention of love, only land and the protection of her clan, she endeavors to get her betrothed banished from her country. Will love find its way around her stubborn heart?

Bram, the Viking, finds himself without future or inheritance as a younger son in his family. A marriage to the Laird’s daughter would grant him land if he swears fidelity and if his men will fight along with the Liannons against any foe—Irish or Viking. However, the Laird’s feisty daughter only holds animosity for him and his kind. Is marriage worth the battle scars of such a relentless opponent?

With the blame for a rival laird’s death treacherously set against the Liannons, Kaireen and Bram must find a way to lay aside their differences as an unforeseen darkness sends death snapping at their heels.




Andrea’s Bio: Growing up in Houston, Texas, Andrea has always created characters and stories. But it wasn't until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels. 
What happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to three kids (two boys and a girl).
Andrea writes paranormal and historical romance. When not writing or reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba. 
She believes in the power of change and counting each moment as a blessing. But most importantly, she believes in love.
Viking Fire is her second novel with Crimson Romance and is a historical romance. Viking Fire will be forthcoming July 29, 2013.
Twitter: @AndreaRCooper


Buy Links: Crimson Romance ebooks | Amazon | B&N | iTunes


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Monday, June 17, 2013

Shadow Across the Liffey




Welcome to my stop on this tour- today I have the author, Cathy Mansell here for an interview. Please be sure to leave a comment as there is a prize to be given away! Leave your email address to be entered! 


Cathy will award a $10 Amazon gift card to one random commenter at the end of the tour and two $5 Amazon gift cards to random commenters during the course of the tour.

You can follow the tour here





Tell me about yourself, and your writing.

I started by writing articles and short stories that were published in national magazines. I won the Stella Branston Award at the Nuneaton Festival of arts in England for “Legacy of Love” I am now writing full length novels set in Ireland, England and America. Shadow Across the Liffey
if my debut novel and a second book, Her Father’s Daughter, by Tirgearr Publishing, was released on 6th June. I was shortlisted in May, this year for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award, with Shadow Across the Liffey.

How long have you been writing? How many published books do you have, and what genres?

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing or making stories up inside my head. I turned to writing novels about ten years ago and I have just completed my fourth book and I’m now contemplating a fifth. The genre I am writing is romantic suspense.

Do you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, do you ever consider straying outside your genre?

No, I stick to one. But I know many authors who dabble in other genres quite successfully.
If I ever consider straying I might turn to crime as I love the intrigue surrounding a crime mystery.
Are you a plotter or do you write from the seat of your pants?
I’m a plotter. I have to know where I’m going and where the story will lead me. If I can get a beginning, middle and an ending then I can get to work on the whole plot. The characters sometimes stray and at times that can work well.


What is a typical writing day like for you?

After a healthy breakfast of oats and fruit I have a quick tidy up, otherwise I feel guilty, before going to my computer. My writing space is in the
attic room accessed by a pull down ladder. I work from 9am until 11:30 when I stop for coffee. Then I continue, sometimes working through lunch until 4pm, before coming down to prepare tea. I usually go back and do my promoting in the evening.

Who do you love to read? Favorite authors, favorite books?

I love to read on my kindle. And find it much easier than holding a heavy book. I read broadly and have enjoyed some very good books on Amazon lately. I still like to re-read Thomas Hardy, and many Irish writers, Roddy Doyle, Elaine Crowley, the late Maeve Binchy, Lesley Pearce to name but a few. There just isn’t enough time to read all the books I’d like to.

What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

To continue to have books published with Tirgearr Publishing. And to be looking forward to the print copies of Shadow Across the Liffey and Her Father’s Daughter. To build up a following of readers who will give me feed back on my books.

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
To have the ability to fly like a bird. When I was a child, I constantly dreamt about flying just above the surface of the earth and it was empowering.

If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?
A dove. One that was all knowing and could see danger before it happened.

Tell us a little about your latest release.
Her Father’s Daughter is my latest release out on kindle 6th June. The story is set in 1950s Ireland. Twenty-year-old Sarah Nolan leaves home after a series of arguments. She has taken a job in Cork city with the Gazette, a move her parents’ strongly oppose. With her limited budget she is forced to take unsavoury accommodation where the landlord can’t be trusted. Soon after she settles in, Sarah befriends sixteen-year-old Lucy who has been left abandoned and pregnant.
Dan Madden is a charming and flirtatious journalist who wins Sarah’s heart. He promises to end his association with Ruth, the daughter of a rogue landowner, but can Sarah trust him to keep his word?
It’s when her employer asks to see her birth certificate that Sarah discovers some long-hidden secrets. Her parents’ behaviour continue to baffle her and her problems with Dan and Lucy multiply.
Will Dan stand by her in her time of need? Will Sarah be able to help Lucy keep her baby? Or will the secrets destroy Sarah and everything she dreams of for her future.
What is something that you absolutely can't live without? (Other than family members)
I can’t live without writing. I write to live. I just can’t imagine my life without it. Most of my family are writers. It is who I am.

Could you ever co author a book with someone? If so, who would you choose, and what would you write?

I could never, absolutely never, write a book with someone else. Although, I did write a play once with a group of writers and that was fun. As a serious career move, no. I admire anyone who can do this and make a success of it. Constructing a story from two very different personalities is a most difficult task as well as the added job of making the story seamless.

If you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?

I would love to spend a day with my great aunt who lived and worked in the Bronx N.Y. She died in 1950. She was a most interesting person. She left her home in Dublin in 1900, worked as a cook in England, saved her money and travelled alone to America. She rented an apartment, became a famous song writer and wrote poems. She even penned one for President Roosevelt and she received a letter by return, thanking her. We would spent the day talking about writing, about her life in America and how she coped with being so far away from her family.

What are some of your other hobbies outside of writing?

I love to catch up on reading. Playing with my lovely grandchildren and taking them to the museum, cinema and bowling. I have taken each of them in turn to Ireland by car. so far this year I haven’t been able to take the time away from writing. But once I start to establish my brand I’m hoping to take a short break.

If you were on the staff to have a book adapted to movie, what would you pick?

All of my books would adapt quiet easily into movies. I think Shadow Across the Liffey
would be my first choice as my debut novel. When I was writing it, I visualized it on film.

What is a talent you wish you had, but don't?

I come from a musical family. My father played the clarinet and the violin. I learnt to play the harmonica and the melodeon by ear, as I can’t read a note of music. So, I think if I hadn’t become an author, I would have liked to have become a talented singer.

Favorite color?
I love all colours but yellow is my favourite, it reminds me of the sun.

Weather: Hot or cold?
I much prefer hot weather to cold.

Favorite place to read?
In bed or in the armchair.

Favorite meal
Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Favorite non-alcoholic drink.
J20 Pineapple and Mango.

If you could travel anywhere and do anything, no limits or money holding you back, where would you go?
I’d love to go to New Zealand to see my son and granddaughter who live in Christchurch.



SHADOW ACROSS THE LIFFEY
By
Cathy Mansell

BLURB:

A gripping story of how family secrets can wreak havoc on the present.


In 60’s Ireland life is hard for widow, Oona Quinn, grief-stricken by the tragic deaths of her husband and five-year-old daughter. Struggling to survive, she meets charismatic Jack Walsh at the Shipping Office.

Vinnie Kelly, her son's biological father, just out of jail, sets out to destroy Oona and all she holds dear. Haunted by her past, she has to fight for her future and the safety of her son, Sean. But Vinnie has revenge on his mind . ..



Excerpt 

The roar of the traffic made her head ache as she hurried along the pavement towards the bus stop. People hurried past and life went on, but Oona felt hers had truly ended.

Foolishly she had assumed that her love, together with constant reassurance from the
family, would be enough to help heal Sean’s pain. She had been shocked to discover that deep down he was struggling with his own demons. Sean playing truant, and his disruptive behaviour, was tearing her apart. She couldn’t take much more. It was only a week since she had last been at the school to discuss him. Confusion scrambled her mind as she tried to work out what might have happened this time.

Pausing to catch her breath, she knocked on the headmaster’s door. Her stomach tightened.
Mr Mulvane glanced at her over his thick-rimmed spectacles. ‘I’m sorry to have taken you away from your work again,’ he said, ‘but I’m afraid…’ he cleared his throat, ‘shall we say that Sean is heading for expulsion if he continues to misbehave. The cane has little effect on him, and it grieved me to have to use it.’

Her heart sank. ‘What’s happened? What’s he done now?’

‘I know this is distressing for you, Mrs Quinn, but there’s been another altercation in the playground. This time it has resulted in a bloody nose for the O’Neill boy.’

‘Oh, dear God, no.’ She sighed. ‘What with the truancy and now this.’

‘That is why I called you.’ He paused.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Member of
Leicester Writers’ Club, Just Write workshop, Life President of Lutterworth Writers’ Group, Member NAWG, Member Romantic Novelist Association and past president of Riverside Speakers club.


Cathy is an experienced writer of romantic fiction. Her early work was competition short stories and articles published in national magazines. She was Editor in Chief of the Leicestershire Anthology, ‘Taking Off’, a book promoted and supported by Arts Council UK.

In recent times, Cathy has turned to writing full-length novels that are set in Ireland/England. Her debut book Shadow Across the Liffey was published on 7th February 2013 by Tirgearr Publishing. She was a recent contestant on the TV show Food Glorious Food to be broadcast on 27th February 2013

cathy.ashbymagna@zen.co.uk

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